Automatic steam-coupling.



Me. 649,472 Patented May 15 H. F. NEEDERLANDER.

QUTDMATEC STEAM COUPLING.

(Application filed June 17, 189B.)

' 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

ma Modal.)

' floams PETERS. mm. mm. vmsnmamn. 0-

No. 649,472. Patented May :5, 1900.

mr. NIEDEBLANDER.

AUTDMATEIJ STEM}! COUPLING.

. Application filed June 17, 1898.: (No Model.) 2 Sheets$heet 2.

IHVENTOR,

WITNESSES: I

Nonm PETERS. INC. Llmo WASHINGYOPL 0 c UN D STATES OFFICE.

mu miesa min a emtgegzaaena'q a' za' ill?! met, hpplidatioiifllcd mer dians," anti-i stance; eo-aw- .To all wiwm it-maycbfijcerm Iii-Fig;Loftheqrawings an automatic pipe Be itknownthatlgiN LA-S'FQNIEDEE ."couplingof the same generalclass as that LANDER,acitizenof'the United StatesQreSid "shown? in my patent already referred. t,i.s ing.atSt;Louisg'in-thestate oflilissouri', have 'shownattached .tOf-thehalf-sections 1 and 2" 5. invented or discovered?certaimnew audnse of the'carrcoupling device;the'half sections- '5 In} Improvement in Autorna rcg'Steain-Cohp *3 and 4 of the pipe-coupling device being 1ing's','o whichimproveh zek following is'a" loosely connected to the'bracketsffiand 6 by specificationa p p I ,'-,means rofthe-sPring'sTZand'B,passing'through The object of my invention-istp' provide an the openings 9 and 10 therein,.a;nd' by means to improvement in automaticpipe conplings for". ofthe chains 11 and i2 and the'arjms' l3- an'dy'o railway-cars; 'and te thisend itcbnsistslin'a 14, which-are secured-tolth-ehrackets 5-a'nd 6-. new and improveqzmeans forrconnectingrthe The ai '-signal"-train-pipe 15f0n" one car is steam-pipes of cars,- in thefcombination of- Zcoriuected,.by meansofa ilexible pipe or hose 1 such means with an automatic air-pipecoup 1.16 and a"- section of rigid pipe-1.7, with the I -ling,' and in certain' combinations and fe'a-i hack of thehalf-sectionB oi the ipc eou gt'ures of construction, allas'hereinafter set jling-jdevice' and the, pas' 'sage therethrough forth. Q i 7; communicates with the passagethrough the In the accompanyingdrawingsfligurelis .similai ipes 18 and 19, connected with the a perspective view showing aware-coupling half-sec ion 4 of' 'the pipe co'upling and with, ze and an automatic pipecoupling- .attached th'e aibsignaljtrain-pipe on1the=nextcan- 7e -"-""i ,thejgegflgng ppqgfidgghg'ith gmg impgeevhzzieh-h? I 'i -hmaiefbraketrainpipe connectedii' l "2, ayiew at right anglee ito that shown by" means of [he flexible pipe on-hose 21. a.nd l ofan automatic pipccgnpling dethe pipe,22',with the half-section 3'ofithe pipe v provided with my improvement; 'Fig;;3',z couplipg'and thepassagethroughthese pipes F as km in elevation of part ofione of the halfiscennectedby means of the registeringopen 7 5 sections .of-- arr-automatic pipesddupling dc ings in the two halfesections of the pipe-c'oup vice with my improved -steani:pipecoupling fling', jwith the passage through the pipes 23 device applied thereto; Fig, a seetiofibn and; 24, which connect with the air-brake.- the line as ai'of Figeijlan'de 3;;Figj.*5,,,an e1e-- train-pipe on the next car.

3o vation at'right. anglefs'r togthat sli'ow n' -in"Fig. As'ishown in Figs 1, 2, and 3' of thedraw- 8o matic pipe-coupling device of the class shown ling and my improvement. as applied to each 3 Fig; 6, a sectiongon'thekline fife/ 0f Figs-2; "ings', in'y improvedsteam-pipe-coupling de- -3, and5.

s .vice is applied'to the lowerportionofthehalf- My p esent'invention isspeciallyadapted, sections of the air-pipe-coupling device,- and to be employed in' combination with an-autoas the two half-sections of the air-pipe coupin my Patent No. 582,672, of May-1 8, 1897 in of-thern are-in all respects duplicates thedewhich the half-sections of c this coupling de .scription of that-portion of my improvement vice are provided with lateral openings 0011-. applied to the'half-section 4; will be su ficient'. heated with the. air-pipes under the cars and As shown in the drawmgs,'an integral exin which the half-sections areadapted to be tension25 projects downward from the h-lfio automatically coupled, so that the lateral section of the air-pipe coupling and terms a open ngs therein will register, by the. movebracket to which the steam-pipe-coupiing dementef the cars to which they are attached, vice is secured. A guide-frame 26 IS rigidly without requiring any manipulation by the secured to the bracket or extension. 25 by trainmen. While my improvement is spe means of bolts27, an dabnshing 28 is screwed 5 cially adapted to be employed in combination therein and forms a gu de for a; p pe 29 and.

with thisfOllll of air-pipe coupling, it will be an abutment tor a washer 30, ,egmnst which obvious that its employment is not limited to bears one end of a spring 31. ilhe OPPOSlhO' this particular form of cou-pling, but that it end of the spring 31 bears-against a flange on so may be employed with other forms. the pipe 29 and normallvholds it pressed. mo.

i brought together by the lateral movement.

against a shoulder on the extension or bracket 25. On the end of the pipe 29 is secured a gasket 32 by means of a clamping-piece. 33, which is secured on the end Q: the pipe and which is fitted to slide in an opening in the bracket 25. The opposite end of the pipe 29 is secured to a section of pipe 34:, which is connected by a flexible pipe or hose 85 with the steam train-pipe '36. The section of flexible hose 35 and the construction by which the'pipe 29 is held in the bracket 25 permit a slight rotary movement of the pipes 29 and 34; but this motion is pr'e f= erably limited, so that the end of the pipe 34 where it joins the pipe 29 will always be at its lowest point, so as to prevent the accumulation of water at any point where it cannot be drained through the passage controlled by thevalve The gasket .32 on the end of the pipe 29 is adapted .to engage with a similar gasket on the other half-section =of, the pipe-coupling" and to-make therewith a tight joint around the registering steam-passages through which the passages in the pipe 29 in the two half-- sections of the pipe-couplin g are putinto communication. j

The'half sections 3 and 4 of the air-pipecoupling device shown in the drawings are coupled by a longitudinal movement as the cars approach each other and also by a latoralmovement when the passages through them have reached the proper positions, opposite to one another, to permit them to register with one another -when the gaskets are During the longitudinal movements of the half-sections toward each other they are held apart by portions of the face of the half-sections, as 38 in Fig. 3, which project beyond thegaskets surrounding the ports or openings in the halflsections, and injury to the gaskets is thereby prevented.

In my improved steam-pipe-cou pling device the outward movement of the pipe 29 and gasket 32 is limited by the flange 40, which abuts against a shoulder'on the bracket 25, p

and the gasket 32 does not project far enough to come in contactwith the other half-section of the coupling or with the gasket surrounding thesteam-passage of that coupling during the relative longitudinal movement of the pads;

When the openings in the half-sections for air and steam are opposite to one another-and moving laterallyinto position to register, the gaskets 32 of the steam-couplingdeyice will fengage one another and make a tight joint around the openings, and the gaskets and the ip 29'will be pushed back from the posiions which they occupy when the half-sec:

tions are uncoupled, so that the flanges 40 on.

the pipes 29 are disengaged from the shoul- Hers 41. The gaskets 32 are held together by the pressure of the springs 31, and each pipe I sure or to follow up the parts in the other half-section in case of any movement of the pipes, half-sections, or other parts, such as may occur in actual practice.

The tubular guide 28 is adapted to be adjusted, by means of screw-thread connection, with the guide-frame 26 by turning the head 42, and the guide 28' is prevented from accidental turning by means of the clampingnut A chamber or space around the pipe 29 is "formed. in the bracket 25 and in the guideframe 26, and openings are provided whereby the chamber may be drained and a circulation of air therethrough permitted.

A valve 37 controls a passage through av plug 44, through which passage water may be drained from the pipes, the valve-seat being located below the lowest point in any 0 the pipes and the valve being held open ya spring 45 when the pipes are relieved from t the pressure ofthe steam. \Vhen the pipes are connected and steam under pressure is supplied'theret'mtlae pressure of the steam will force the va1y'e37 to its seat and the passage through the plug will be closed. The passage may be opened from the outside by pressing the stem 46 inward, and any water which may have accumulated in the pipes will then be blown out.

I claim as my invention and desire to seeure by Letters Patent- 1. A coupling device for steaxmpipes, comprising a longitudinally movable pipe attached to a half-section of an air-pipe-coupling device, and adapted to move transversel to the face of the half-section.

2. A pipe-coupling device for railway-cars, comprisin'g'a half-section adapted to be coupled to another similar half-section, a tubular member, or pipe, mounted in a guide and adapted to move longitudinally therein,

rection, a spring for offering a yieldi resistance to movement in the opposite direction, a gasket on one end of the tubular memher, or pipe, and means for-connecting the opposite end with a train-pipe, so as to form a continuous closed extension of the trainpipe, which is movablein the half-section.

3. The combination, with a half-section of an automatic "air-pipe-conpling device, of a steam-pipe-coupling' device, comprising a tubular' member,-or pipe, having a gasket secured on one end, a spring tending to resist movement of the tubular member in one di rection, and a guide for the tubular member means for limiting the movement in one di-' which forms an abutment for the spring and l which is adapted to be adjusted to vary the re sistance of the spring.

4'. In an automatic coupling device for railway-cars; a half-sectir n adapted to be conpied to another simila part, alongitudinallymovable, member, or pipe, in the half seor tion, and extending therethrough which is sauna gasket is adapted to yield to pres provided at one end with means for making a joint with a similar member Ghi10til0f halfcoupling and the flexible hose connecting the section, and-which is so fitted in the hait-seccoupling with the train-pipe. 10 tion and connected at its other end with a In testimony whereof I have hereunto set train-pipe as to be capable of apartiai rotary my hand 5 movement. NI CHOLAS F. NIEDERLANDER- 5. The combination, with an automatic air Witnesses: and steam pipe coupling of an automatic THOMAS EWING, J r,-

drainage valve located between the steam- W. G DOOLITTLE. 

